A cartoon from the 90's, Captain Planet saw 5 youngsters from different parts of the world get given magic rings (no dirty jokes, please) which gave them power to control the elements which, when combined, summon Captain Planet and thwart the plans of the Eco Villains causing destruction to Earth for power or money (sometimes both). The cartoon was ok, being based on morals on why waste is bad and stuff. Mindscape (what, you mean, Ocean didn't snap this up????) decided that they could make a game out of this and had a stab. The results were less than great. They were even less than bad. So, in the name of the song 'where do I begin?'.
The first level sees you playing as Wheeler (using the element of Fire), and clearing toxic waste and mutated, erm, 'things' (I have no clue what they are!) which, when you defeat them, they turn into smaller versions that follow you around. Once you've cleared the platform part, you head upwards towards a small plane which will help you to repair the ozone layer and lead seals which are sitting on clouds (yeah, yeah, I know) and are waiting for you to lead them to safety. Once you've done that, it's onto level two and you play as Mai-Ti, and the power of heart. Again, this sees you again destroying toxic waste. I never progressed far into this one, as this is when the difficulty level spikes up very sharply. So, shall we list the other faults, then?
First off, the graphics aren't that bad if I'm honest. Yeah, the backgrounds are sparse, and there's not much variety throughout the level you're playing, and that's a bit of a let down. The music is ok as well, but gets really repetitive and you'll soon be reaching for mute. Gameplaywise, this is where it lets it down big time. The characters jump with all the gracefulness of a brick, and their responsiveness is awful. The level layouts have no thought put into them at all (seals above clouds? Oh, come on!). Exhibit A is the first level as mentioned. Exhibit B is the Heart level. You've no clue where to go, and just end up aimlessly wondering around looking for something to do. It's just crap.
30% good ideas, 70% crud. That's not a good percentage. Not good at all. Do yourself a favor. Load up Lemmings. Or Walker. Or Speedball II. Anything. Just not this. Captain Planet? More like CRaptain Planet!
This was one of the first games I tried when I picked up my Amiga 500 a couple of months back.
ReplyDeleteI was quite excited that it had come with a Captain Planet game and really couldn't wait to try it.
Sadly that excitement was short-lived as after a couple of attempts at trying to make Wheeler jump I gave up and slapped in SFII.
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